It’s a late Sunday night and I should be in bed. But it’s quiet in my house, raining outside and the Christmas tree is twinkling. I just can’t give this up for sleep right now. (Don’t get me wrong, I loooooove sleep.)

November was crazy. I was in Thailand for the first half of the month. The second half was full of work and concerts and parties and too many (slash just enough) Thanksgiving meals (four, to be exact.) Or maybe it was five?

“fakesgiving” at the office

I went to Buffalo, NY for Thanksgiving. My sister, brother-in-law and two-year-old nephew met me at the airport. I was worried my nephew would forget me or be shy around me, but instead when he saw me he screamed “Hopie!!” and ran into my arms full force. Passerbys stole glances as I lifted him above my head and kissed him. My heart melted and for a moment I was the star in my own Hallmark movie. Pass the tissues, please.

True to form, Buffalo = snow. I loved it (because I didn’t have to scrape my car and I could leave it all behind two days later.) God bless the south.

When I was in Buffalo I decided to book myself a B&B as soon as I got back to Atlanta, before going home to Gainesville and getting back into the swing of things. I needed time and space alone…my introvert was drowning.

So I found this place, 45 minutes away from the airport…

Aka heaven on earth. The first thing I did after checking in was put my phone on airplane mode and take a nap. When I woke up I went for a hike, wandered around the nearby Gilmore-Girls-esque town, ate at the most delicious Italian restaurant, came back and took a bath. (Which was really more like a hot tub. Or a swimming pool.) I sprinkled in bath salt, lit tea candles, drank Dr. Pepper (my version of wine) and read Anne Lamott (one of her newest, Help, Thanks, Wow.) When I finished the book, I put on my pjs and sprawled out on the king sized bed. I wrote in my diary and took my phone off airplane mode to look up Christian counselors in Gainesville (more to come on that later.)

Acworth, GA…or Stars Hallow?

The next day breakfast was served at 9am – fruit salad, scrambled eggs, pumpkin pancakes, orange juice (also bacon, but I didn’t eat it. save the pigs!) The innkeeper, Lynn, told me about her son-in-law who had come back from the army and was suffering from PTSD. I recommended she watch The Best Years of Our Lives, one of my favorite movies about soldiers coming home after WWII. She asked if her son-in-law should watch it too and I said yes, maybe he’ll feel less alone.

After breakfast I packed up my few belongings, met a friend for coffee in Marietta and drove home. When I got back my roommates and I left to cut down a Christmas tree…the one that is currently twinkling two feet away from me.

That was a week ago. December is in full swing and I’m attempting to get my life together before the new year. Like I said…more on that later.

xo for now,
Hope.

P.S. I’d love to know what you’ve been up to! Leave a comment or send a Harry Potter owl, whichever you prefer.

Found your site by accident and really enjoyed reading about all your adventures, being a guy the same age and going through pretty much all the things you are made it a really interesting read. Keep up the good work 😉

That sounds like a lovely (but busy!) month, although I’m quite intrigued by this Gilmore Girls-esque town – looks like the perfect weekend escape 🙂 I’ve been holed up in my apartment studying for finals for like the last two weeks. Cannot wait for winter break to spend time with family and catching up reading, writing and sleep!!! 🙂